A nine-year-old girl's quick actions helped to rescue a young friend who was caught in a riptide.

Alicia Ough may have saved the life of her neighbour Becky Matthews, 11, when she ran to get help after seeing her in distress out at sea.

Alicia, of Saltash in Cornwall, followed the advice she had received from RNLI volunteers during their visit to St Stephen's Primary School.

Instead of trying to rescue her friend herself, she ran to get adult help at Seaton Beach, near Downderry in Cornwall, last Sunday afternoon.

Alicia said: "I thought she was joking at first, but when I saw her face and saw that she was crying I knew it was serious. I think she was caught in a rip current because she was trying to swim, but not getting anywhere.

"Because the RNLI lifeguards Daniel and Charlie had come into our school, I knew that if I went to try and save her, that I would also be in trouble, so I got help."

The two girls were invited to the RNLI's divisional base in Saltash last week, and commended for their bravery.

For more beach safety advice, visit www.rnli.org.uk/ beachsafety.